Kisame Is Jealous
by Yuna Yami Mouto
Summary: Okay, we all know Kisame was not Itachi's first partner. Well, let's see how he reacts whenever Juzo is mentioned again after he becomes Itachi's new partner.


**Kisame is Jealous  
**

 **Summary: Okay, we all know Kisame was not Itachi's first partner. Well, let's see how he reacts whenever Juzo is mentioned again after he becomes Itachi's new partner.**

It was a rainy day in the Land of Rice Fields as two figures made their way down an old but most frequented dirt road. The sky was dark from the dark gray rain clouds, the air was heavy from all the rain, it was hard to see as huge water droplets fell from the heavens as if out of a hose. There were rice fields on either side of the road and the muddy path they were on wasn't really helping the situation for the two travelers. Lightning would sometimes light up the sky and the path before them and then everything would go dark again. Thunder occasionally rolled across the sky as the only break in the monotony of the splattering of rain drops on the ground.

The two figures never stopped, never seemed bothered by the raging storm around them as they kept walking. Both were dressed in identical black robes with red clouds lined with white to make them stand out more. Both had the exact same hats, as well. Straw, round hats that covered half of their faces with strips of paper all around their heads so no one could recognize them. The only difference between them was that one was almost half of the other's hight and the taller one carried a huge, wrapped up sword on his back.

These two people made up one of Akatsuki's five teams. Akatsuki was an organization of S-ranked rouge ninja, criminals, who took up missions from various clients who wanted nothing to trace those not-so-legal requests to them. Everyone in Akatsuki was insanely strong, from their leader to their youngest member. _Especially_ their youngest member. They were all from different shinobi villages but they either ran away or were chased away because of this or that crime. They were all jonin and above in ranks. To kill someone from Akatsuki took a lot of skill and power, especially since they had a couple of immortals on their team. Especially since they worked in partners that never left one another's side. For protection purposes, of course. Except in the case of one Snake Sannin. They just plain hadn't trusted that guy.

Anyway, the two figures that were traveling through the rain were Akatsuki's Hoshigaki Kisame - a tall, blue skinned, shark like man with round eyes, what appeared to be gills on his cheeks, dark blue hair and a sword, his faithful Samehada, on his back - known far and wide as the Monster of the Hidden Mist and his shorter partner was one Uchiha Itachi - fourteen years old with pale skin, ash colored hair set in a low ponytail while two bangs framed his handsome face and the blackest eyes you have _ever_ seen framed by long lashes - known as the Clan Killer, the greatest prodigy from the Hidden Leaf since their Yondaime Hokage. Kisame was brash, talkative, loud, blunt, rash, kill first ask questions later type of guy while Itachi was quiet, almost antisocial, reserved, a guy who planned everything before he did anything and was fucking _smart_. Kisame was the strength - not to say Itachi was weak; the shark knew better than to even _think_ that - while Itachi was the brain. Where Itachi went, Kisame followed. He attacked when the younger male told him to and he stopped when the raven haired teen said so. And despite their appearances, Kisame _knew_ Itachi was stronger than him and could easily defeat him, blindfolded and with his arms tied behind his back with a sack of rocks wighting a ton strapped around his waist.

Kisame and Itachi were partners for a couple of months now, the shark man mused as they walked mile by mile on their way back to the base. This month's base was located in the Land of Rice Fields. They had no ninja village but Konoha was very close by so they had to be careful not to attract any unnecessary attention to themselves. They were lucky no one else was quite as insane - or durable - as them so no one was out in the rain to see them. They've been through quite a bit in such a short amount of time. The blue man had gotten to know the ex ANBU captain quite well in that time.

Of course, Kisame had had to intensely _study_ the other to know _anything_ about his partner. Itachi-san was a very private person. He didn't talk unless spoken to or it was strictly necessary. He wasn't sulking or brooding - the Akatsuki members all learned that the hard way when Hidan thought that the Konoha nin wasn't paying attention and had tried to mess with his hair, only to end up needing his partner and their medic, Kakuzu, to sew back his arms and legs into place - as most would think. Kisame knew that Itachi simply preferred to be left to his own thoughts. The boy was a downright philosopher, easily one of the smartest people _anyone_ in the organization had ever met, and Kakuzu was alive during Uchiha Madara's and Senju Hashirama's time almost a century ago. The Mist ninja never knew what his younger partner was thinking, but it never really bothered him. Not to mention he never dared to ask. Itachi-san could be damn scary when he puts his mind to it.

Kisame had been observing the youngest member of their organization since the day Itachi joined. He had seemed so out of place, a thirteen year old boy in an oversized Akatsuki cloak, half of his face hidden by the high collar of the jacket that usually reached only the chin or the mouth, in case of those who were slightly shorter. But Itachi had looked so fragile in the uniform that Kisame had sworn whoever ended up being the kid's partner would need to always look out for him and protect him all the time. And, strangely enough, Kisame had been okay with that thought from the very beginning.

Only it wasn't him that had gotten the honor of being the Uchiha's partner. Kisame scowled as he recalled his fellow Swordsman of the Mist.

00000

 _"Alright, everyone. Thank you for making it on such short notice." An orange haired man with plenty of piercings, known as Pein but called Leader or Leader-sama by the gathered men and woman, said as he entered the room with his partner and girlfriend, Konan, a pale, purple haired beauty with bright orange eyes, right behind him. The men just nodded towards him, looking curiously towards the door, where they could feel a foreign presence of another person, so clearly a ninja from the very refined chakra they could feel. "I called you here to introduce you to our newest member and to assign him to one of you as your new official partner. Now, he is a bit young but I assure you, do not let his age or appearance fool you. He is quite strong."_

 _That got the gathered members even more curious, although rare few showed it or would ever admit to feeling such a thing. So far, Akatsuki has been an organization of the eleven of them and new members that seemed to come and go with the wind due to ending up getting killed, either by their enemies or by their partners themselves. These eleven made up Pein, Konan, Zetsu, Tobi, Sasori, Kakuzu, Kisame, Juzo, Orochimaru, Hidan, Deidara and now everyone wondered just who this new member will be and how long he will last. The last one was Kakuzu's new partner, whom Kakuzu disposed of after only two days of being together because the idiot tried to steal from the money loving man. And just a week before that, Sasori made his partner into a pupet and left him to some unsuspecting children's show puppeteer. Zetsu once ate one of his partners and Deidara blew all of his up if they insulted his 'art'. Hidan just ... liked killing, so if a mission isn't bloody enough, he tended to kill his partners as an offering to his god, Jashin. Juzo and Kisame could hold on to a partner for longer than a few weeks but they didn't help them and they never bothered to go back for them if they were captured or too injured to run. They don't really know what happened to Orochimaru's first partner so the Sannin was placed back on the same team as Zetsu again, after spending a few missions with Sasori. Pein and Konan were always a team, so they didn't cost them any new members and Tobi was yet to become an_ official _member, so, yeah. The point is, newbies rarely survived their first day as an Akatsuki member, so the regulars wondered why Leader even bothered._

 _"How long do you think this one will last, un?" Deidara asked as he played with a clay spider he had just made. Everyone stared at it with suspicion, since Deidara's 'art' were his weapons, too. Everything he made was a bomb and he claimed that true art is an explosion, that it can only be appreciated in that one fleeting moment. Sasori disagreed with him, saying art should last forever. They had more than a few fights on this subject._

 _"It depends on who the little fuck gets to be partnered with." Hidan said as he polished his scythe. "If he gets me, I'll kill him as soon as we leave the room. I haven't killed anyone in two days and that's blaspheme! It goes against my religion. I hope Jashin will forgive me."_

 _"He won't be assigned to you, you moron." Kakuzu grumbled from across the silver haired man. "I've already been officially saddled with you from two days ago."_

 _"Oh yeah," the zealot mumbled, recalling the scolding he got from Leader for killing his two hours long partner as a sacrifice. "Forgot about that."_

 _"He better not be useless if he ends up with me." Sasori warned, fixing a joint in the puppet he usually rode in. It was rare to see the redhead outside of his scorpion like puppet. Deidara, the explosion obsessed blond, never understood why as the ex Suna shinobi was quite handsome. "Or late."_

 _"Let's just see who it is," Orochimaru said in his usual snake like voice which always made a few people wary of him. The pale, long black haired man was one of the three Legendary Sannin. They didn't really like this fact very much, as they knew he was awfully powerful and really skilled. They didn't trust him not to kill them all should they let their guard down._

 _"Who knows? He might be useful." Juzo joked to Kisame. The two were somewhat friends when they weren't annoying each other. They were from the same village, from the same class in the Academy and even had the same training to become one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. They ended up joining the same criminal organization, too, so they trained together. They weren't exactly fond of each other and even if you were to place them on the same team, they'd probably just end up killing each other anyways._

 _Kisame only smirked because, before he could reply, Konan called in the newest member. Besides the fact that the new person was practically swimming in the cloak and the fact that he seemed rather feminine, they appeared to be just a_ kid _! Kisame wouldn't give the boy more than ten summers! Yet there was this feel about him. Everyone could see it,_ feel _it in their very bones ... this kid was not ordinary. Black eyes roved over the rooms occupants and Kisame swore he lost himself in those pools of ink when they landed on him. The rest were so stunned that they couldn't even stiffen up at such close and obvious scrutiny. The boy was studying them, noting their reactions, judging their strengths. Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, Juzo and Hidan didn't even think to hide their weapons from those seemingly all-seeing eyes. Kakuzu was openly staring at the boy._

 _Orochimaru looked shell shocked._

 _"This is Uchiha-"_

 _"Itachi-kun?" The snake interrupted, earning a glare from those strange, purple eyes Leader possessed, but Orochimaru wasn't bothered. Black eyes went back to the snake bastard. A black brow arched._

 _"Orochimaru-san."_

 _"It's been a while, Itachi-kun." The surprise seems to have melted away and the Sannin was now smirking in a creepy way at the teen. Kisame felt uneasy for the boy. "What brings you, of all people, into Akatsuki? Last time I heard, you were still an AN-"_

 _"Itachi's reasons for being here are none of your business, Orochimaru." Konan coldly cut in, sending an unimpressed glare towards said man. "If he wishes to tell, he will tell. For now, leave him be."_

 _"I agree. All any of you need to currently know is that Itachi will be our newest member and Juzo's new partner."_

 _"What!? Why do I get stuck with the kid!? He's ten!" The rest of the regular crew turned around to stare at the brunet from the Mist. Juzo had_ never _questioned Pein. Ever. To do so now and over this newbie ..._

 _"I'm thirteen." For some reason, everyone flinched at the rather deep - for a thirteen year old - voice that so coldly spoke this simple sentence. Kisame found it fascinating how valvety a voice the Konoha ninja possessed. He also found it fascinating how, despite it being cold, the tone was neither threatening nor pissed off. Itachi sounded perfectly impassive and monotone, as if talking about the weather with a stranger instead of his age in a room full of people at least two times his age that will no doubt try to kill him at least once. Kisame, Juzo and Deidara were the youngest there besides now Itachi and they were 23, 31 and 16 respectively. Hidan was 19 but he's an immortal and they didn't count the age of an immortal._

 _"If you don't want to be Itachi-kun's partner, I will gladly take up the position." Orochimaru seemed gleeful as he offered this and Kisame didn't know why but he had the sudden urge to take Itachi away and hide him inside his cloak or lock him up somewhere the snake creep would never find him. Said boy only arched an eyebrow but made no other reaction._

 _"No." Everyone looked back to Leader when he spoke authoritatively. "Itachi is with Juzo. Orochimaru is with Sasori. Deidara and Tobi. Kisame and Zetsu. With Kakuzu and Hidan, me and Konan, these are the new official teams. These formations won't change unless someone dies."_

 _"Itachi, come with me. I will show you to your room." Konan called to the Uchiha, who had no qualms to turn his back to them. Juzo glared at him while Sasori took out one of his weapons and threw it at the Uchiha, angry with him because he got stuck with the snake, obviously as a precaution for the kid not to die too soon. To their surprise, Itachi just shifted a bit to the side with graceful and unnoticeable fast steps as the senbon sailed over his shoulder. They gawked as Itachi continued ignoring them and just left the room with the woman._

 _"As you can see, he won't be an easy one to get rid of." Leader said as he turned to look back at his employees. "To any of you who dare try, I will give you only this one warning. Uchiha Itachi is an unmatched prodigy that is believed to have surpassed Konoha's Yondaime Hokage, the Yellow Flash, when he was eleven. I wouldn't recommend making an enemy out of him." With that, the Rinnegan user left to talk with Itachi in the Uchiha's new room about the new arrangements for the boy._

 _"He sure seems weak to me, un." The only blond commented after a long and tense moment of silence. "I bet most of us could break him like a twig, un. He's not meant for this organization, un."_

 _"I wouldn't be so sure." Orochimaru said as he stood to leave. "Itachi-kun is truly talented, a genius in every way. I don't recommend making an enemy out of him either." The snake Sannin disappeared in a wisp of flames, his last word echoing like a trapped sound in a cave._

 _"I pity you, man," Hidan said as he leaned back in his seat. Kakuzu and Sasori grunted to show their agreement while Juzo groaned. Tobi had long since hopped out of the room to go and get to know the newest member, leaving all the serious talk for the serious people. Zetsu kind of ... just melted into the floor and vanished._

 _Everyone seemed to have doubted Itachi from the first day he arrived there, but Kisame had_ seen _they were all wary of him at the same time. They, like him, had seen the way he carries himself, the way he walked out, the way he had studied them and had_ known _one of them would strike._

 _And yet they expressed pity towards Juzo for having a partner that he couldn't rely on and that he would always have to watch over like a child while Kisame could only envy him._

 _He had wanted Itachi to be_ his _partner. He felt Juzo didn't even know how lucky he was._

00000

"You're awfully quiet," the velvety, smooth voice startled the shark man out of his thoughts and he snapped his head up to look at Itachi-san, who had stopped a few steps in front of him. Kisame quickly came to a stop, too, so he wouldn't bump into the smaller male. When he received no immediate answer, the raven haired teen arched an eyebrow at him, silently telling Kisame that he was waiting for a response.

Feeling sheepish for being caught daydreaming, Kisame reached up behind him to rub the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "Sorry, Itachi-san. I was lost in my thoughts." Then it occurred to him that he wasn't being scolded for not paying attention to his surroundings and he put his arm down. "I thought you liked silence." It ended up sounding as a question but Itachi paid it no mind.

"Anything I can help with?"

Kisame shook his head. "Just reminiscent about old times." The eyebrow arched a millimeter higher before something seemed to dawn on the Uchiha and he smoothed his face of any emotion.

"I am sorry about Juzo. You two must have been close." Without his permission, Kisame felt his teeth grinding and Itachi seemed to misunderstand why that was as he continued. "I was unable to protect him and he died. I understand if you are not ... comfortable." And without giving Kisame a chance to respond, Itachi turned around and kept walking.

Kisame felt like hitting himself. It hadn't been over three months since Juzo Biwa, Itachi's first partner in the Akatsuki, died. This wasn't even Itachi's fifth mission with the shark and they hadn't exactly had time to really get to know each other due to their missions. Itachi had no idea he had been envious towards Juzo for almost an entire year because the other Mist shinobi got the _honor_ of being Itachi-san's partner without being humbled by it. Now, Kisame didn't see the Uchiha as perfect or anything god-like, but he felt great and deep respect for the young teen... And maybe a little fondness and affection, but Kisame thought he would never admit to that. The point was, Itachi had misunderstood and he now had the aura of a drowned rat.

This was not the way Kisame had wanted their return home to be like after a two week long, tiring mission on the other side of the continent.

He looked up to see tremors running through the smaller one's body and he cursed himself when it finally hit him. Itachi was cold and he had been looking forwards to a distraction provided by Kisame's usual prattle. It had been a rainy day when Itachi had come back from the mission in which Juzo had died and it had been a rainy day when he had joined the Akatsuki. From the first time Kisame had seen those black eyes, he had caught the traces of remorse and anguish in the black depths. He didn't know how the boy came to join the Akatsuki but he knew it had left him scarred. In the two months they had been partners, Kisame had seen just how restless storms like these made the Uchiha. He was always cold, no matter how warm his surroundings might be. But he usually had Kisame to distract him from it.

Kisame couldn't help but wonder if Juzo had found out about this and had been Itachi's distraction, too, as he moved closer to the Uchiha.

00000

 _Kisame walked into the HQ to the sound of familiar laughter and curses coming from the living room. The blue skinned man had been on a short mission to the nearby village and he had obviously missed the return of the teams back to the base. Because Pein had to go on a long mission with Konan two days ago, Kisame and Zetsu have been stuck in the base for the past few days. A new assassination request had come this morning and Kisame had went after contacting Leader and left Zetsu to entertain himself until he returned. Kisame wasn't exactly happy to almost always be stuck in the HQ but he found comfort in always being there because he_ knew _he wouldn't miss their youngest member._

 _His little interest in the Leaf shinobi hadn't died down in the last three weeks. The day after Itachi had arrived, Deidara tried waking the boy up with a bang, only to find himself wrapped up in one of his own clay figurines that would have blown him to bits had Itachi not broken his genjutsu when he saw it was only the annoying blond. Then, at breakfast, Hidan had thought it would be fun to try and gross out the Uchiha with his numerous stories of massacres. Itachi had just listened to him rave about his killings while calmly eating his onigiri before thanking Konan for the food and Hidan for the entertainment before going out to train, leaving Konan flabbergasted for someone being so polite - other than Kisame himself, as he was always polite - and Hidan enraged that he was considered entertainment. On the training grounds the Uchiha had chosen for himself was when they all first realized just_ why _the boy was in Akatsuki, as Hidan had promised Kakuzu a lot of money if he could embarrass Itachi. Kakuzu hadn't cared why, Hidan had promised him his salary of two months. No one had ever seen Kakuzu get immobilized by the wire until it was too late and Itachi had an explosive talisman near all five of his hearts. It had left a few of the members with their jaws on the floor, as Itachi was fast, precise and meticulous. Then Pein had called in him and Juzo and the next morning, the two were gone on a set of three missions. They came back briefly to report but Itachi had stayed outside while Juzo took the report to Leader and the supplies they would need and the two left before the rest even realized. Kisame hadn't had a chance to even talk with the boy since he was recruited and he was really curious about him._

 _When he walked into the living room, it was to the familiar sight of his fellow Akatsuki members all gathered around the dinning table that was behind the big couch and three love seats stationed in front of a big flat screen TV. The table was near the door that lead to the kitchen so the food could be more easily brought out. The table was big with a setting for all of them, even though Zetsu didn't eat and Tobi ate up in his room. He was slightly disappointed not to see Itachi there but he highly doubted someone like him would be interested in gambling and poker. But Hidan, Kakuzu, Juzo, Deidara and Sasori were there and it would seem that, like always, Kakuzu was winning._

 _Deidara was the first one who noticed him. "Kisame-dana, un! Welcome back." The rest looked over to the tall, blue skinned man and Kisame flashed them all a sharp grin. Hidan patted the chair in between himself and Juzo, the place usually occupied by the shark during nights like these._

 _"Care to join? Kakuzu is fucking us up pretty bad. We could use a new target for his winning streak."_

 _"Sure. It's been a while since we could get together like this." The swordsman said as he leaned his Samehada against his chair on Hidan's side and the silver haired man grimaced at the wrapped up sword. The thing hated everyone but Kisame and made sure to let them know it by trying to shred them to pieces if they so much as got close to it. He turned towards Juzo, who seemed to somehow be the worse off. The man never did seem to have any good luck come his way. "Yo. How you've been?"_

 _"Oh yeah!" Deidara said loudly as he seemed to finally remember something while Sasori casually dealt the next hand. "How are you putting up with that weasel?"_

 _Kisame stiffened as the question he had wanted subtly to ask was so bluntly said so everyone could hear it and were paying attention to them now. Usually, although he was a laid back kind of guy, Juzo didn't open up to people easily. He would tell Kisame almost anything as he was used to him after all these years, but he still became a bit tight lipped around the rest of Akatsuki. It was probably because you never knew when any of them might snap and just kill you in your sleep. Kakuzu needed new hearts every once in a while and Hidan_ still _ran out of sacrifices for Jashin every now and then. Deidara was always a suspect of planting bombs everywhere so, yeah, relaxation at the base kind of didn't exist._

 _To his surprise, Juzo grinned. "I've been well. And the kid ain't that bad. A little closed off but after what he did, I'm not really surprised."_

 _This got a curious eyebrow from them all. It was still Sasori who asked the question. "What did he do?"_

 _"It's the reason he's gone rouge, actually." The older Mist ninja said as he took his cards and couldn't seem to help but frown at them. "Shit."_

 _"Well?" Deidara asked impatiently, looking over his own cards. "Aren't you going to tell us?"_

 _"Nope. Don't wanna become brain dead." That got him even more curious looks from the rest of Akatsuki. He shuddered as he seemed to recall something. "Believe me, I ain't risking getting that guy pissed with me. You should have seen what he can do with his genjutsu."_

 _"Genjutsu is just genjutsu." Kakuzu casually said as he placed two cards face down in the middle of the table, indicating he wanted two new ones. "A genjutsu can easily be broken."_

 _"Not this kind of genjutsu. The guy he used it on committed suicide just to make it stop." Another shudder ran down the man's body._

 _"Now you just_ have _to tell us! Don't be a fucking tease!" Hidan demanded while frowning at his cards. He put down three before looking back at Juzo. "Or are you too much of a pussy to say it? I mean, come on! How bad can the little bastard be?"_

 _"Seeing as he just reduced a whole platoon of Suna's ANBU to ashes and dust, I think he can be_ pretty _bad." Sasori looked up from his hand to gawk at the brunet man but Juzo seemed to brighten up. "How about this? If I win this hand, I will tell you guys_ everything _I learned about Itachi."_

 _"That's an invasion of your partner's privacy. If he learns of this, he won't trust you anymore." Kisame tried to reason, not at all liking how these men were playing around with Itachi's personal secrets. It just angered him more that it was Juzo who got to be the boy's partner. Kisame would_ never _tell anyone if Itachi were to confide in him._

 _"It's not as if the kid himself told me." Juzo scuffed, not noticing a relieved twinkle flash in his fellow Kitigakure ninja's eyes at his words. "It was what one of those ANBU bastards said when they saw him. They called him Clan Killer, Sharingan no Itachi." Kakuzu almost dropped his cards when he heard this but Juzo went on before anyone could say anything else. "So I took his Bingo Book and looked through it. If I win this hand, I might just tell you what I read there." And they knew that if he_ didn't _tell them, the chances were they will never find out. Only ANBU captains carried around a Bingo Book all the time and those were rarely caught in the crossfire if you_ do _run into ANBU. The chances of obtaining a Bingo Book were almost slim to none._

 _"Then let's play, un!" Deidara said as he put down one card. Kisame put down two, hoping to win so Itachi's secrets may remain hidden. It may mean that he will never find out anything about the boy who interests him so much, but he would rather Itachi-san remain a mystery than his secrets shared with people who will gladly use them against him._

 _"Hold up. What do_ I _get from agreeing to this, other than the threat of death hanging over my head?" Juzo demanded and Kisame wanted to cheer. If Juzo saw how pointless it all was, he might not agree! When no one looked to be ready with an answer, Juzo sent them all a sharp grin. "I say you give me all your winnings in exchange."_

 _"WHAT?" Hidan and Deidara yelled, enraged by the very suggestion, but Kakuzu surprised them all by going full out, Sasori quick to follow him. The two loud Akatsuki stared at them as though they were crazy but considered it and just grumbled as they put their winnings in, too. Juzo was gawking at the money on the table while Kisame couldn't quell the grimace of disgust on his face. Was this really how much Itachi-san's trust meant to Juzo? He really wasn't worth it, in the end. Itachu deserved better._

 _"Kisame-dana, are you playing, un?" At the blond's question, Kisame looked down at his cards. He had three aces, missing only the heart. If he were to manage to get a four of a kind or even full house with aces, it could be enough to protect the Uchiha's privacy._ And _he will win some money out of it. So he put out the same amount of money as Sasori - he was a little worse off than Kakuzu, but still pretty damn good - and nodded with a grin he hoped no one saw how shaky it really was._

 _"Sure, why not." Sasori nodded and they all looked at Juzo, who now obviously very much wanted the immense money on the table but still looked slightly conflicted in giving out Itachi's secret, the memory of that one man's screams still echoing in his ears and the sight of that ANBU platoon and the slight fear in their voices when they said his name ... but Itachi wasn't down here to hear what they were talking about. He was outside, training and having Tobi annoying him or Orochimaru stalking him._

 _Juzo nodded to show he will do it before seriously looking to his cards, debating what he could possibly do. He had five bones right now with only the King of Hearts and Ace of Hearts as any indication of a good hand, since the rest were an eight, a nine and the joker. Normally, poker didn't involve the joker, but they thought it boring not to have a card that might doom the entire hand, so they placed the card in as a risk to neutralize all other cards. Now, he could keep it and back out before he really_ does _give away Itachi's secrets, or he could cast it away and try winning all of this money... Decisions, decisions. Juzo snorted. It's not as if he knew how to turn this into a winning hand, anyway, so he might just throw out two random cards and let fate do it's thing. Hey, he might get something good anyway! So he moved to throw out the joker and the ace when he felt a presence at his shoulder._

 _"I wouldn't do that if I were you." All of the table's occupants looked up at the new arrival that had walked in as silently as death. Kisame and Juzo turned around to face Itachi as the Uchiha studied Juzo's hand. They all gulped, wondering if he somehow knew they were betting on his personal life or not._

 _"What?" The boy's partner asked and Itachi stretched out his right hand, making the Kiri nin release the ace. Juzo limply sat there as Itachi took up all his cards except the king and the ace and got rid of them. "Hey!"_

 _"Oh, let him play!" Hidan crowed in delight when he saw the stunned expression on Juzo's face. He was curious, yes, but he was now pretty sure Juzo will tell them either way now that the kid had pissed him off. "I doubt he even knows how."_

 _"Hn," was all Itachi said as he nodded towards Sasori, who dealt the new cards as Juzo was still flabbergasted to respond. Feeling eyes on him, the teen turned towards his left, black eyes meeting Kisame's as the cards were dealt. Kisame felt a shiver run down his spine when those too wise for their age eyes searched deep into his own for the reasons behind his staring but he was thankfully saved by the new cards he was being dealt. He looked down and was disappointed to see he didn't get the fourth ace, but he had two jacks so he guessed a full will have to do._

 _"Okay, let's see what you cunts got!" Hidan crowed as he showed off his two pairs. Deidara grinned as he showed his three of a kind, followed by Sasori's full of kings. Kakuzu topped them all with a flush of spades and then Kisame came with his full house. They glared at him but he just shrugged. Hey, it wasn't_ his _fault that he was dealt a lucky hand. Well, maybe he was for hoping for it, but he would_ really _rather not allow Itachi's privacy to be so invaded._

 _Juzo suddenly crowed in victory, reaching up behind him and wrapping an arm around the startled teen. "A royal flush, baby! Take that!" He showed off his cards to the group and they didn't know whether to be pleased with the results or get angry for losing all that money. Kisame was to busy glaring at the winning hand to notice Itachi's confused glance towards him as he saw Kisame's sour mood. He was distracted from further observations by Juzo trying to squeeze all the air from his lungs. "I'm taking you with me the next time I'm gambling! This is the first time I won_ anything _! You must be my lucky charm."_

 _Itachi just shook his head in amusement as he extracted himself from the bigger male. "No thank you. I really hate gambling." And with a nod towards the rest of the gathered men and a curious look towards Kisame, Itachi left the room. Juzo quickly collected his money before a hand stopped him. He looked up at Kakuzu, who had a very serious expression on his face. He looked downright murderous as he stared at the man taking away all of his money._

 _"Not until you tell us."_

 _Juzo frowned but nodded none the less. He motioned them all to come a little closer and spoke in a rather quiet voice. "Get this. His name is Uchiha Itachi, yet they call him Sharingan no Itachi, no idea why-"_

 _"It was bound to happen, I guess, seeing from the clan he originates from." Kakuzu's comment earned him questioning looks and he rolled his eyes at them, sighing like he was talking with really dumb people. He might have been, if they really didn't know about that cursed clan and their dangerous eyes. "He is an Uchiha, and the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai is the Sharingan, one of the three great doujutsu. Like Leader's Rinnegan. I wouldn't look into his eyes if I were you. You might really end up brain dead."_

 _Juzo shivered, once again recalling those screams. "He's also called the Clan Killer. Apparently he killed his entire clan in one night for unknown reasons, which was just before he joined us. And it wasn't three or four people we're talking about. There were, like, more than three hundred people alive at the time. All in one night."_

 _"Shit." Hidan very accurately described what everyone was feeling regarding what they just heard as the rest were too speechless to respond._

 _"And I thought_ I _was cold." Sasori said to himself with a snort. They all looked towards where the Uchiha had been standing just a few minutes ago and shuddered._

 _"There's more," Juzo warned and the others looked at him incredulously._

 _"What? More than the fact that a thirteen year old kid killed more people in a single night than even I did in my whole life? If I wasn't afraid he might kill me for suggesting it, I'd ask him to join the Way of Jashin." The immortal said with an incredulous sounding voice._

 _"I think he might have killed even more." Juzo said ominously, getting all of their attention back on him. "He was a chuunin since he was ten. Seems to have competed in the Chuunin Exams in Konoha by himself." Several jaws dropped at this, as they all knew about the infamous Forest of Death. "Finished in some five hours." The rest of the jaws dropped. Yet Juzo wasn't done yet. "Became a jonin a few months later before he was recommended for ANBU black ops at eleven. By thirteen he was a captain."_

 _"Excuse me while I go give an offering to whatever god had kept me alive, un." Deidara said in a shaky voice as he stood up and quickly left the room. Kakuzu wasted no time in following, only to look back at Juzo with true pity in his eyes._

 _"I guess you're officially a dead man walking." He then looked towards Hidan and pointed a finger at him. "Don't annoy him. He's an Uchiha. Probably the only one remaining who can kill you. Don't tempt him." He left then, leaving a very pale follower of Jashin behind. Kisame stood up and placed a hand on the other Mist ninja's shoulder._

 _"Good luck." He had left then, not caring to say anything as he made his way towards his room. He had lost a lot of money and some of Itachi's secrets were spilled, but at least they were of such a nature that it gave the others warning to keep away and not mess with the boy. And he learned a bit about the raven haired boy._ And _Itachi noticed him this time around._

 _All in all, he was probably the one who won the most this day._

 _Or that was what he was thinking until he saw Itachi entering the room he shared with Juzo at the end of the hall and was reminded just how far from his ideal situation he was._

00000

Itachi looked up at his partner when he suddenly felt no water falling on his body and a warm arm wrapping around his shoulders. Kisame grinned as friendly a grin as he could manage with his shark like features while he protected Itachi from the rain with his opened cloak. He faltered a bit when the smaller male arched an eyebrow at him but he didn't step away.

"You looked a bit cold, Itachi-san."

The handsome face settled into a scowl very easily and, had he been a lesser man, Kisame would have turned tail and fled. "I can handle a little cold, I assure you."

"I know you can, Itachi-san. But that doesn't mean you should." The blue man insisted with a frown of his own and the Uchiha looked away. Kisame wanted to bang his head against something hard until all the stupid was beat out of him. This was his way of apologizing to the other for the misunderstanding, but Itachi had took it as an insult to his ability as a shinobi to deal with the weather. Kisame guessed he would be insulted, too, if he had achievements like Itachi's. The Uchiha, though, wasn't quite so prideful. He was a humble person. Juzo had told them that the only things the Uchiha used in their missions to fight were shuriken, kunai, a fire jutsu here and there and his genjutsu. Kisame knew that the Uchiha could do a lot more while Juzo had stuck it into his head that the other had only mastered these things and didn't use any other jutsus not to embarrass himself. Itachi was really a lot more amazing than Juzo ever got the chance to realize. "Itachi-san, I really meant no disrespect."

"Hn."

"Really. I just wanted to apologize for giving you the impression that I was angry with you because of Juzo." The older one continued on, trying to fix things. When he only got silence in return, he went on, desperate to fix things. "I saw you looked cold and I thought it would be a good way to apologize, but I didn't think I would insult your pride as a ninja - not that I think you're prideful or arrogant. But everyone has a pride in something and I thought that something for you might be your skills as a ninja, since you train so much. Not that you need all that training, since you never even get injured. Not that I'm saying that's weird. That just shows how great of a ninja you are- and I'm not trying to stroke your ego or butter up to you, just stating the facts. And I'm sure you already know that, though, not that I'm saying you're self absorbed or anything-" He stopped with a gasp when he felt something warm press against his side, the younger boy snuggled close to him for warmth and better protection from the rain.

"Hn."

Kisame stared down at him incredulously even as he drew the little body even closer to his own. He wasn't exactly used to this type of contact. And it wasn't only because he was a ninja, no. He was often avoided because of his not so attractive features and as his reputation grew, so did the aversion to any kind of contact with him. It didn't help that his weapon was Samehada. His sword wasn't some unfeeling object but a living being of sorts. It liked Kisame and Kisame only, ever since he took it from its previous wielder. Samehada showed everyone just how much it didn't like them by letting its sharp scales cut into their flesh if they tried taking it up. No one could even get close to the sword without drawing blood on it, and since he always had it with him, no one could get close to Kisame.

No one but Itachi, that is. Kisame couldn't prevent the grin from forming on his lips as he recalled what happened the morning after that little poker game.

00000

 _"Has anyone seen my Samehada?" Kisame asked as he entered the kitchen, where he found Hidan, Deidara, Sasori and Orochimaru at the bar, drinking what looked like scotch at seven in the morning while Konana prepared breakfast for them all. They all looked up at the new arrival and they exchanged quick greetings before Kisame went back to the matter at hand. "I seem to have left it down here last night ... Or I think I did."_

 _"You should really be more careful with that sword of yours, Kisame-kun." Orochimaru said with a scowl while he took a sip of his drink. "You know it's a danger to everyone but yourself."_

 _"Fuck yeah! The last time I got an inch from it, it nearly cut my legs off!" Hidan said with a string of colorful curses. "That fucking thing should be locked up somewhere."_

 _"So should you, but you're free and so is Samehada." Kisame replied dryly before repeating his question._

 _"It's not in here. And you really_ should _take better care of that sword, Kisame." Konan scolded as she started piling the pancakes on a big plate. "Someone could get seriously hurt."_

 _"I think you left it in your chair yesterday, when you left after Juzo's story." Sasori finally answered and Kisame nodded to him in thanks while walking towards the living room, only to stop and gawk at the sight before him._

 _"Kisame-dana, un? Is everything alright?" Deidara asked as he came to stand by the big man's side, only to gawk at the sight in the living room. Deidara quickly pinched himself to check if he was imagining things, but when nothing changed, he remained as motionless as Kisame._

 _"What is it?" Sasori asked when he saw the blond and the Kiri ninja frozen in the spot._

 _"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The artist replied absently, still staring._

 _"I'm seeing it, still working on believing it." Was Kisame's reply. That got the other three curious and they put down what they were doing to come see the strange sight that had the two frozen._

 _There, before them, in the light of day, was Samehada, propped up by the chair Kisame had left it at with Uchiha Itachi crouching beside it, running a pale finger over a few exposed sharp scales while the sword ... was it actually_ purring _!? There was no new fresh blood on the sword and Itachi seemed perfectly fine as he touched it. The fact it was emitting a sound of content left them baffled, especially since Kisame knew the sword hated everyone but him. But it would seem that Itachi was an exception to this rule, as he now placed a whole palm openly on the bandaged sword where no scales were revealed and started gently petting it. The Samehada's purring got louder while all of their jaws dropped lower._

 _Itachi looked up when Juzo walked in while whistling a mindless tune, freezing for a second when he saw his partner. In a blink, he had Itachi by the armpits and trying to drag him_ away _from the sword, but Samehada was now its good old self and Juzo hissed as the sharp scales attacked him, almost shaving through his leg. Kisame ran in to his sword before Itachi could be accidentally injured while Samehada tried to shred Juzo to pieces. He took up his sword but it didn't calm down. In fact, it was acting like it usually would during a fight._

 _"What the hell, Kisame!?" The other Mist ninja shouted, dropping Itachi as he fell to the floor while clutching his injured leg. The thirteen year old easily landed with grace while impassively watching his partner with some confusion. "You, too, Itachi! What were you thinking, going anywhere_ near _that thing!? It could have seriously injured you!"_

 _Itachi just arched an eyebrow at the older man. "It was fine before." He turned towards the other gawking spectators and directed his next words to Hidan. "Get Kakuzu. We need someone to patch him up before he bleeds to death." Hidan looked affronted that he was being ordered around by a kid and was about to protest - very vulgarly, might I add - when he remembered what they learned about the Uchiha and he paled slightly as he left to get his partner without uttering a word. Itachi just raised an eyebrow at his strange behavior but paid it no mind. Instead, he looked to Kisame. "I am sorry if I imposed on you, but your sword was whining when I entered the house this morning. It seemed to stop when being touched, so I just kept at it."_

 _"Itachi-dana, you_ do _realize the Samehada hates everyone_ but _Kisame-dana, un?" The incredulous blond asked and the raven just shrugged. "It attacks anyone else who comes near it, even more so if it's with Kisame-dan- What are you doing, un!?" Deidara shrieked as Itachi stretched out a hand and touched Kisame's hand where he was holding the Samehada. To everyone's disbelief - and Kisame's relief - the sword did nothing. Itachi left them further speechless by running his fingertips over the handle and then up to the bandaged part of the sword. The Samehada startled everyone when it started purring and a few scales came out, wiggling to get the Uchiha's attention. Itachi released a small and too short in Kisame's opinion chuckle and moved his fingertips to carefully run them over the rough and sharp scales. The purring picked up until the Samehada sounded like an oversized cat. Kisame was staring at the youngest Akatsuki member with something akin to shock and marvel when the boy looked up, opening his mouth to say something-_

 _"Hey, I'm bleeding to death, here!" Juzo yelled from the floor, where everyone had forgotten he had fallen. The loud noise startled everyone and they looked at him, not seeing Kisame's jaw clench. He had almost had a conversation start between him and Itachi! Speeking of the Sharingan user, Itachi had given Samehada one last pet before walking over to his partner and adding pressure to his wound. A moment later, a not so happy Kakuzu arrived and took up Juzo with that strange thread or hair of his as he carried him off to their little medical wing, all the while cursing about the blood on the carpets and about Leader making him buy new ones and how much it will all cost. Itachi went after them, following the combined cursing of the banker, his partner and the banker's partner through the house._

 _Kisame swore he would leave Samehada by Juzo's bed the next time he's chance to talk to Itachi was stollen away._

00000

After that incident, it wasn't such a strange sight to find Itachi petting the Samehada. One afternoon, they found the Uchiha reading on his bed in his room with the sword in his lap as he absently pet a few scales, purring like a content house cat getting a really good back rub. Turns out that the Samehada wiggled its way out of Kisame's and Zetsu's room and into Juzo's and Itachi's and had spent the night by Itachi's bed so it could get the Uchiha to pet it all day when morning comes. Too bad for the sword that Itachi was going on a mission as soon as lunch was done. Kisame had to come into the raven's room to get his sword, which was none too happy for its relaxing massage being over so soon. Itachi had just chuckled before bidding Kisame farewell before leaving the room.

Kisame had stood there, frozen, for the next two hours, still too shocked that Itachi had said _anything_ , let alone _bye_ to him. Juzo always told them bye when they left for missions, whoever was in the base at the time. Itachi sometimes nodded at them but he had never said a farewell before. To anyone. He just left. It then occurred to the shark that this was the first conversation the two had in the four months the Uchiha had been there.

Kisame had a strange skip to his step for the rest of the day.

"How much longer until we reach the base?" The blue man asked after a few more minutes in silence. Itachi thought about it for a moment before he answered.

"I'd say another fifteen to twenty minutes. We need to get off the road when we reach those rocks," a pale hand lifted to show said rocks and Kisame nodded. "It's only a five minute walk from there." A bout of thunder filled the silence between them and Kisame looked down when he felt eyes on him. "You're still too quiet. Is something bothering you?"

Kisame stiffened up and he _knew_ Itachi was frowning at him now. If he didn't say anything, he might anger the Uchiha. And he would really rather not have the boy ignore him as if they were not partners again.

Especially not after all the trouble he had went through to finally get those chances to speak with the raven.

00000

 _"Has anyone seen Itachi?" Juzo asked one night, three months before his death. "I think I said something offensive that upset him and that he's avoiding me now."_

 _"Then go find him," was Sasori's casual retort as he read some scroll with Deidara sleeping against his shoulder, Tobi sleeping against the blond's legs on the floor beside the couch. "I'm dure finding a single kid can't be_ too _hard for a jonin."_

 _"Except that kid is ANBU." Orochimaru stated as he meditated in the corner of the living room, practicing some sealing thing or another. The snake loved making up new jutsus so this wasn't a rare sight: Orochimaru practicing some new jutsu every other week or so. "And Itachi-kun. Itachi-kun is exceptional."_

 _"Exceptionally_ annoying _at times." Juzo grumbled as he lowered his sword to the ground. "Are all of you Kononha ninja that sensitive and emotional?"_

 _"Are all of you Kiri ninja so stupid?" The Sannin replied with an eye roll and Juzo glared at him. "Whatever you said to annoy Itachi-kun enough to actively avoid you must have hit too close to home, something personal was dragged up. Itachi-kun is a very private person, after all. He would like to deal with it on his own."_

 _"You sure do know a lot about the weasel," Hidan commented from where he was surfing the channels, looking for something bloody enough to catch his interest. So far, he has found nothing and was bored out of his mind. Kakuzu sat beside him as he did calculations for this month's expenses. He would have given it to Itachi to sum it all up in five seconds, but the Uchiha was no where to be found. He paused in his work long enough to glare at the reason why his work was being made harder than it needed to be. He used Itachi's brilliance ever since they all realized how_ smart _the kid really was and that Orochimaru hadn't been joking when he called Itachi a genius in all ways. Kakuzu had been fast to utilize the kid's mind, as had Pein, to speed up and lighten their work load. "It's fucking creepy."_

 _"I don't." Oochimaru replied. "It's the standard Uchiha behavior. Only difference is that Itachi-kun is not arrogant to then chase after you for daring to insult him in some way."_

 _"Uchihas_ are _quite arrogant," Kakuzu offered before going back to what he was doing. He glanced up for a moment with murder in his strange green eyes as he glared death at Juzo. "You'll pay for making me do this on my own."_

 _"Yes, he will." Pein threw in as he, too, glared at the brunet. He felt like gouging his eyes out just to stop the load of work. And his headache. Juzo shuddered but then looked over to where Konan was applying the customary nail polish to Kisame's left hand and he walked over to the other swordsman._

 _"Hey, do_ you _know where Itachi is?" Kisame arched an eyebrow so Juzo elaborated. "You seem to be the only one he even talks to most of the time."_

 _Kisame didn't know why, but he felt like blushing at the comment. Damn it, he was a grown man, not a teenage girl with her first crush! "We don't really talk."_

 _"But you spend the most time with him," Juzo pointed out. "And you figured out he liked dango. And he always somehow ends up with Samehada some place because that thing wants a massage."_

 _"You should probably go find him." Konan offered as she finished his nails. "Maybe he'll tell you what is bothering him."_

 _"I doubt it, but sure. I'll go." And he did, rather gladly. He, of course, knew where the Uchiha will be. Itachi had this one tree he liked to sit or crouch in when he wanted everyone to leave him alone. Kisame had just so happened to be passing by when he had caught the boy jumping into it. And despite someone now knowing where he went when he wanted to isolate himself, Itachi-san never changed his spot, which made Kisame feel special and quite honored. It would seem Itachi-san liked him and trusted him a lot more than the others if he would let Kisame come to the one place where he allowed himself to be vulnerable. Take that, Juzo!_

 _As he had expected, Itachi was in his tree, crouching on the tallest stable branch as he looked up to the fool moon which was so bright tonight that rare few stars were visible. Kisame frowned when he realized the boy wasn't wearing his cloak and was instead only in a short sleeved black shirt and shinobi styled pants. He must be cold as the wind was pretty strong tonight. The shark didn't hesitate to jump up onto the nearest branch to the Uchiha and he just ... stood there, wondering if Itachi will ask him to leave or why he was there to begin with._

 _"It's my birthday, today." The words startled the blue man, and not just what was being said, but the way they were being said at all. He had thought Itachi would remain quiet until he finally decided to go back inside and Kisame just followed. It's usually how most of their time was spent. They never talked about private things and it was usually Kisame that talked the entire time with the occasional 'Hn' or comment from the Uchiha that a boy his age shouldn't even be thinking about. But, then again, there was no one quite as smart as Itachi was, either. "I'm used to having hundreds of people - some of whom I don't even know by name or have never spoken a single word to in my entire life - saying a chirpy or shy "Happy Birthday, Itachi!" But here no one knows. And I found it ... refreshing." Kisame didn't dare make a sound. This was the most he had heard the weasel say in the almost year that he had been part of the Akatsuki. Some days, people said more in one sentence than Itachi did for the entire day. To hear him talking this much and about something as private as his life before Akatsuki ..._

 _Kisame just didn't want to interrupt._

 _"It's not that I was never grateful for it. It just made me uncomfortable. But I always looked forward to this day because I got to spend the whole day with my Chichiue, Kaa-san and otouto. Now I can't. I don't even have my best friend here. The four 'Happy Birthday's I looked forward to are no longer there and I realized just how hard this life will be, if I have to continue on without them."_

 _Itachi now finally sounded his age for the first time in the time Kisame knew him. And he would know. It was true, what the others said. Kisame was the one Itachi talked to the most. Kisame observed him the most, too, if you didn't count Orochimaru and his sick stalking of the now fourteen year old genius. Kisame might even be the person Itachi trusted the most. This all added up to Kisame being the first and only person to see Itachi acting his age for once. Even in Kirigakure, where they killed their would be classmates just for the privilege of entering the Academy, they didn't have things as tough as Itachi had. Most of them still had families at Itachi's age. Some even still had some innocence clinging to them. They had friends. They had people to talk to. Itachi had no one but his crows and he wasn't allowed to bring them in the house because they nearly gouged out Deidara's eye when the blond had yelled something stupid at Itachi._

 _Itachi had no one to look after him, as Juzo now only saw Itachi's strength and maturity. Deidara was still pissed that Itachi had caught him in his genjutsu so easily the first morning he was there. Kakuzu was wary of the Uchiha and Orochimaru was a freak. Hidan took Kakuzu's warning to heart and stayed away from the Sharingan user, even though he didn't know what he was supposed to look out for. Sasori still held a grudge against him for being stuck with Orochimaru. Tobi was crazy and Itachi avoided Zetsu because his black and white halves always argued and got on the raven's nerves. Konan and Pein rarely spoke with the others unless it involved missions and Itachi was a naturally reserved person._

 _It would seem only Kisame saw the true Itachi and the shark man was ashamed. Why? Because he_ wanted _it to stay that way._

 _"It's always a full moon out on my birthday. The Wolf's Moon, to be exact." The quiet words drew Kisame out of his musings and he looked up to see Itachi staring at the above mentioned moon. It was huge, really. Or so it looked. "There's never any stars, so unusual for summer. Just the moon in a sea of black." A pale hand that looked as if it were glowing in the dark due to the pale moonlight stretched out and pulled into a fist. Kisame guessed that the fist rested right in front of the moon from where Itachi was looking. "I often felt like that. In Konoha. My clansmen, my classmates, my teammates, my fellow ANBU ... They were the dark. They never saw anything they didn't want to or allowed others to tell them what they were supposed to see and want to see. There were stars out there, somewhere, but they were too far out of my reach."_

'Guess that makes Itachi-san the moon,' _Kisame mused, looking up at the sky before his eyes went back to his companion. He found the comparison fitting. Itachi was what allowed people to see in the night, but sometimes his brightness outshone everything else and people were forced to notice things they never wanted to when he was finally gone. Kisame wondered if anyone in Konoha missed the boy._

 _"But I was never lonely. Not like I am now." That, though, didn't make sense. If Itachi-san was unique in Konoha like the moon is in the sky, why wouldn't he feel lonely? "I was home, but now I have no home. I had a friend. I am truly alone now."_

 _"Don't be ridiculous, Itachi-san." Kisame said before he could stop himself and those black eyes turned to look at him. Kisame panicked a little when he saw them turn red but relaxed again when nothing happened. Itachi must have just wanted to see if he was sincere. "You have me. I'll gladly make you company."_

 _Itachi studied him for a little while longer before looking away. "Hn." Was the only response but Itachi finally sat down, relaxing on his branch, although he spoke not another word for the rest of their stay. They sat there for an hour or so longer before Itachi easily jumped down from the tree and landed gracefully. When Kisame landed beside him a second later, the Uchiha turned to walk back towards the house. "Thank you."_

 _Kisame froze up for who knows what time since he met the Uchiha, eyes widening as he realized what the other had said. He stood there gawking for a long moment before jogging back towards the house, wanting to catch up to Itachi before he entered the house. He managed just a few steps away from their hideout. "Hey, Itachi-san!" The raven haired boy looked over his shoulder at the blue skinned man and Kisame shot him a large grin. "Happy Birthday!"_

 _Black eyes widened for a moment before they returned to normal. They looked gentler now and Kisame swore he must have died and went to heaven when the Uchiha sent him a breathtaking smile. It was small but genuine and more than enough to rival the beauty of the large moon shinning down on them. The older ninja was sure Itachi was an earthbound angel in that moment._

 _Too bad the others had sensed their presence and the doors opened to reveal Juzo. The brunet took Itachi in by the shoulder, shooting a grateful look at the shocked blue man as he dragged Itachi inside to apologize for whatever he said to upset the Uchiha._

 _Needless to say, Kisame had been_ very _pissed as soon as he realized what had happened._

00000

He didn't get to talk much to the genius after that. It didn't matter, as Juzo died three months later and then Orochimaru tried to steal Itachi's body and it all ended with Kisame becoming Itachi's new partner. And here they were now, entering the warmth of the hideout, soaking wet and cold.

"Hey! Look who it is! These two bitches are finally back!" You could already guess who the yell came from as they went past the living room. Hidan waved at them from where he was inspecting the stitch up job Kakuzu must have recently done. The silver haired man was soaked in blood from head to toe and Kakuzu must have gotten sick of that armchair if he was allowing the loudmouth to dirty it.

"Welcome back, you two." Pein said as he exited the kitchen with two cups of hot tea. He handed it to them and they just took a cautious sip of the beverage to warm themselves from the inside. The orange haired man looked towards the younger of his two just returned employees. "Itachi, how are you adapting? I know Kisame and Juzo have different fighting styles, but I hope there are no problems in accommodations."

The blue man immediately stiffened and ground his teeth together. The two glanced at him strangely before returning to their conversation. "I have no problems. Kisame and I work perfectly together. We have a different dynamic that honestly makes me more comfortable than the one with Juzo, despite him having been a good partner." Kisame felt the need to puff out his chest at this, truly pleased that Itachi had such a high opinion or him and their partnership, but he resisted. Itachi-san was already looking at him strangely.

Leader just nodded and turned to leave. Hidan waved to them again as they turned to go up to their room, Itachi easily ducking the over excited Tobi that tried to attach himself to the Uchiha in a hug and the clay birds quickly flying at him. They were used to the explosion that followed, as well as Sasori's, Kakuzu's and Pein's yells of "DEIDARA!" When they finally entered their shared room, Itachi immediately took off his cloak and pucked up a clean towel before moving towards the bathroom.

The words he threw back at Kisame shocked the shark into stillness when he had been in the middle of hanging up their cloaks to dry.

"You needn't be jealous of Juzo, Kisame." The raven said. "He may have been my first partner officially but you are my _real_ first partner."

"How did you-"

"You were pretty obvious with the way you were looking at me when he was assigned as my partner." Was the answer to his unfinished question and Kisame was left gawking at the closed bathroom door as the water started running while his young partner took his hot shower. When he snapped out of it, Kisame shook his head and combed through his hair with his fingers and a short chuckle.

Of course Itachi had noticed. He was a genius. He wouldn't even need to really know him to realize Kisame was (needlessly, apparently) jealous.

OWARI


End file.
